Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20 Recently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued the Regulations on Political Consultative Work of the CPC (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) and issued a notice requiring all regions and departments to conscientiously abide by and implement them.
The formulation of the Regulations is of great significance for upholding and improving the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the CPC, and consolidating and developing the patriotic united front.
The notice requires party committees (party groups) at all levels to strengthen their organizational leadership over the implementation of the Regulations, accurately grasp the positioning of political consultation, ensure the correct political direction of political consultation through the institutional system and working mechanism of political consultation work under the leadership of the party, improve the effectiveness of political consultation, and implement the guidelines, policies, and decision-making arrangements of the party central committee on political consultation work. We must adhere to the principle of centering around the center and serving the overall situation, seek common ground while reserving differences through political consultation, gather common ground and resolve differences, unify our understanding on fundamental and major issues, closely unite all forces around the Party, and promote the formation of a strong joint force for comprehensively building a socialist modernized country and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Important situations and suggestions in the implementation of the Regulations by various regions and departments should be promptly reported to the Party Central Committee.
The full text of the Regulations is as follows.
Regulations of the CPC on Political Consultation
(Reviewed and approved by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on May 27, 2022, and released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on June 13, 2022)
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Article 1 These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Constitution of the CPC in order to strengthen the Party’s leadership over political consultation, improve the scientific, institutionalized and standardized level of political consultation, adhere to and improve the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the CPC, and consolidate and develop the patriotic united front.
Article 2 The term “political consultation” as mentioned in these Regulations refers to the consultation carried out by the CPC under the leadership of the CPC with representatives of all democratic parties and all walks of life around the major policies of the Party and the country, important issues of economic and social development and other important matters.
Political consultation is an important part of the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the CPC, an important form of socialist consultative democracy, and an important way to pool wisdom, enhance consensus, and promote scientific and democratic decision-making.
The basic methods of political consultation in Article 3 are:
(1) Consultation directly conducted by the CPC with the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation, referred to as party consultation for short;
(2) The consultation conducted by the CPC at the People’s Political Consultative Conference with representatives of various democratic parties and all walks of life is referred to as the People’s Political Consultative Conference for short.
Adhere to and improve the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, adhere to great unity and unity, adhere to the unity of consistency and diversity, improve the efficiency of political consultation through the system and working mechanism of political consultation under the leadership of the Party, and pool the strength of common struggle for building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Article 5: Political consultation work shall follow the following principles:
(1) Adhere to the comprehensive leadership of the Party;
(2) Adhere to centering around the center and serving the overall situation;
(3) Adhere to promoting democracy and open consultation;
(4) Adhere to political guidance and gather consensus.
Chapter 2 Organizational Leadership and Responsibilities
Article 6: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China shall exercise centralized and unified leadership over political consultation work, formulate unified political guidelines for political consultation work, study and decide on major issues related to the overall and long-term development of political consultation work, and ensure that political consultation always adheres to the correct political direction.
The Party Central Committee organizes political party consultations at the central level, leading and supporting the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference to carry out political consultation work in accordance with the Constitution of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and relevant regulations.
Article 7: The main responsibilities of local party committees in political consultation work are:
(1) Implement the guidelines, policies, decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee on political consultation work, as well as the work requirements of higher-level Party committees, and guide lower level Party organizations to do a good job in political consultation related work;
(2) Incorporate political consultation work into the important agenda of the Party Committee, and promptly study and solve important issues in political consultation work;
(3) Conduct political party consultations with democratic party organizations and non party members at the same level in accordance with regulations, and lead and support the Political Consultative Conference at the same level in carrying out political consultation work;
(4) Support democratic parties and non party individuals to improve their political consultation capabilities, better fulfill their responsibilities, and play their roles.
Article 8: The main responsibilities of the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee in political consultation work are:
(1) Implement the guidelines, policies, decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee on political consultation work, as well as the work requirements of higher-level Party committees and peer Party committees;
(2) Entrusted by the Party Committee, organize and carry out party consultations, request and report on party consultation work to the Party Committee, and provide opinions and suggestions;
(3) Complete the political consultation and other related tasks assigned by the Party Committee.
Article 9: The main responsibilities of the Party Group of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in the political consultation work of the People’s Political Consultative Conference are:
(1) Implement the guidelines, policies, decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee on political consultation work, as well as the work requirements of higher-level Party committees and peer Party committees, and organize and carry out political consultation work of the People’s Political Consultative Conference in accordance with regulations and articles of association;
(2) Adhere to democratic centralism, strictly implement the system of requesting instructions and reporting on major matters, report important consultation activities to the Party Committee for approval, and promptly report the implementation status to the Party Committee;
(3) Strengthen the construction of the team of members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, guide them to deeply study the Party’s theory, line, principles, and policies, conscientiously fulfill their negotiation responsibilities, effectively improve their negotiation ability, and play the political leading role of party members and members in political negotiations;
(4) Complete the political consultation and other related tasks assigned by the Party Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Chapter 3 Object and Content of Political Consultation
Article 10: The objects of political party consultation are:
(1) Democratic parties;
(2) Non partisan individuals.
The Federation of Industry and Commerce was invited to participate in political party consultations.
Article 11: The objects of political consultation of the People’s Political Consultative Conference are all relevant parties participating in the Political Consultative Conference, including:
(1) Democratic parties;
(2) Non partisan individuals;
(3) People’s organizations;
(4) Other representatives from various sectors.
Article 12: The main contents of political party consultation are:
(1) Formulation and revision of relevant important documents of the national and local congresses of the CPC, the Party Central Committee and local Party committees;
(2) Suggestions for amending the Constitution, formulating and revising important laws, and formulating and revising important local regulations;
(3) Major issues related to national economic and social development;
(4) Suggested candidates for members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the government, the leadership team of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as the director of the supervisory committee, the president of the court, and the chief procurator of the procuratorate during the term change;
(5) Major issues related to the united front and multi-party cooperation.
Article 13: The main content of political consultation of the People’s Political Consultative Conference is:
(1) Important matters included in the agenda of the plenary session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference;
(2) National policies and important local measures, as well as important issues in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction;
(3) Important issues related to the united front.
Chapter 4 Preparation for Political Consultation Activities
Article 14: Party committees at all levels shall strengthen the research and deployment of political consultation activities, coordinate and arrange political party consultations and political consultations of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, enhance the planning of consultation activities, improve the pertinence of consultation topics, and support all parties to prepare for consultations.
Article 15: The annual plan for political party consultation shall be proposed by the General Office (Office) of the Party Committee in conjunction with the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee, based on the opinions and suggestions of relevant departments, democratic party organizations, and non party members. After being reviewed and approved by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, it shall be reported to the democratic party organizations at the same level.
Article 16: According to the annual plan for political party consultation, democratic party organizations and non party members at the same level shall conduct annual key inspections and research on important issues related to economic and social development, which shall be organized and implemented by the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee and coordinated in a coordinated manner; Support democratic party organizations and non party individuals to conduct regular inspections and research based on their own characteristics and the content of the annual party negotiation plan, and form research results to provide reference for negotiation activities.
Article 17: The General Office (Office) of the Party Committee, in conjunction with the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee, shall formulate specific work plans based on the annual plan negotiated by the political parties. The United Front Work Department of the Party Committee, in conjunction with relevant departments, shall organize leaders of democratic party organizations and representatives of non party organizations to read documents and report relevant situations in advance.
Article 18: After soliciting opinions from relevant parties on the political consultation topics of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Party Group of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference shall propose an annual consultation agenda arrangement, form a draft annual consultation plan, submit it to the Standing Committee of the Party Committee for confirmation, and implement it after deliberation and approval in accordance with the procedures.
Article 19: Party committees and governments at all levels support the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in conducting research on consultation topics. According to work needs, relevant party and government agencies can be arranged to introduce the situation, exchange opinions with committee members, and jointly conduct research during the CPPCC inspection and research. Report important research results to the Party Committee and relevant departments.
Article 20: The specific work plan for the political consultation activities of the People’s Political Consultative Conference shall be formulated in accordance with the approved annual consultation plan. Written materials related to laws, regulations, policies and measures related to the topic can be issued in advance as appropriate, for the reference of all parties participating in the negotiation.
Chapter 5 Conduct of Political Consultation Activities
Article 21: Party committees at all levels shall, in accordance with the requirements of matching form and content, reasonably use negotiation forms to ensure the orderly conduct of negotiation activities.
In political consultation activities, it is necessary to encourage and support all parties involved in the consultation to speak the truth and offer advice, strengthen interaction and exchange, and create a relaxed, democratic, and harmonious negotiation atmosphere.
Article 22: Party committees at all levels mainly carry out political party consultations through the following forms:
(1) Meeting consultation. The responsible comrades of the Party committee presided over and held special consultation forums, personnel consultation forums, research consultation forums, and other consultation forums, listening to the opinions and suggestions of democratic party organizations and non party representatives at the same level.
(2) Appointment and negotiation. The responsible comrades of the Party committee may, as needed, periodically invite leaders of democratic party organizations at the same level and representatives of non party organizations to communicate and exchange opinions in person on issues of common concern, or at the invitation of the main responsible comrades of democratic party organizations at the same level, listen to opinions individually.
(3) Written negotiation. The party committee may solicit opinions and suggestions from democratic party organizations and non party members at the same level in writing regarding important documents and matters, and provide feedback and consultation opinions in writing from democratic party organizations and non party members. Support democratic party organizations and their responsible comrades to directly report the situation and provide opinions and suggestions to the party committee at the same level in writing.
Article 23: Party committees at all levels shall support the CPPCC in conducting political consultations through the following forms:
(1) Plenary meetings. Comrades of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau and other members were invited to attend the plenary session of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and discuss national sovereignty with members; Local party committee leaders and other officials were invited to attend the plenary meetings of the local CPPCC, participate in discussions, and listen to opinions and suggestions.
(2) Special Political Consultative Standing Committee Meeting. Party committees and government officials are invited to attend relevant standing committee meetings and give reports, listen to opinions, and engage in interactive exchanges as needed.
(3) Special consultation meeting. The responsible comrades of the Party committee and government were invited to attend the special consultation meeting and express their opinions. The responsible comrades of relevant departments introduced the situation and conducted interactive exchanges.
(4) Consultation symposium. According to the situation, corresponding consultation forms shall be adopted, and presided over by the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference or the responsible comrades of the special committee. Department leaders related to the topic were invited to the meeting to introduce the situation, listen to and exchange opinions.
Chapter 6 Application and Feedback of Political Consultation Results
Article 24: Party committees at all levels shall attach importance to the research and handling of consultation opinions, and may establish and improve a system for the application and feedback of political consultation results based on actual situations. Important consultation results can serve as decision-making references.
Article 25: The General Office (Office) of the Party Committee, in conjunction with the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee, shall sort out and summarize the consultation opinions of the political parties, submit them to relevant departments for research and handling as appropriate, and provide feedback on the handling situation to democratic party organizations and non party representatives at the same level in accordance with regulations.
Article 26: The Party Group of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference shall sort out and form the results of the political consultation activities of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in accordance with regulations, and submit important consultation results to the Party Committee. If the responsible comrades of the Party committee and government have clear requirements for the relevant departments to implement the consultation results, the Party committee and government office (office) should strengthen supervision and inspection, and copy the implementation situation to the same level of the Political Consultative Conference office (office).
Chapter 7 Political Consultation Guarantee Mechanism
Article 27: Party committees at all levels shall improve the mechanism of political consultation work based on actual conditions, support and promote the participation of relevant units and departments in political consultation related work.
Improve the working contact mechanism between the Party committee, government, supervisory committee, court, procuratorate, and representatives of various democratic parties and various sectors, and create conditions for them to know and govern.
The relevant departments of the party committee, government departments, people’s organizations, and party groups (party committees) of enterprises and public institutions create favorable conditions for democratic party members, non party members, and members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in their respective departments to participate in political consultations and provide necessary guarantees.
Article 28: The responsible comrades of the Party committee shall conduct inspection and research, and may, according to work needs, invite the responsible comrades of democratic party organizations at the same level and non party representatives to participate.
The supervisory committee, court, procuratorate, and relevant government department party groups (party committees) may introduce relevant information to democratic party organizations and non party members at the same level according to work needs, and invite democratic party organizations and non party members at the same level to attend relevant work meetings, participate in specialized research, inspection and supervision, as appropriate.
Article 29: Support all democratic parties and non party members to participate in the discussion and consultation of national policies and important local measures in the CPPCC, and make institutional arrangements for all democratic parties to express their opinions and put forward suggestions in the name of their own party in the CPPCC.
Chapter 8 Supplementary Provisions
Article 30: These Regulations shall be interpreted by the Central United Front Work Department.
Article 31 These Regulations shall come into force as of the date of promulgation.